I sell these, have done many.

Basically just about any museum (or similar) in the world is happy to accept large sums of money from rich people in exchange for exclusive experiences. This helps fund the museums and everyone wins.

Tourism has to be managed. Most istitutions can't, or can in a relatively limited manner. Rich people provide both the money and the reputation to allow them to have profitable private tours without risking too much. There is no real reason why a museum can't be open at 2 A.M., it's just that it's economically impossible, unless someone pays enough money. There is no real reason why a small church painted by Giotto can't be opened to the public, but managing all the people and making sure they don't damage stuff is a nightmare, unless the people entering have a verifiable reputation.

Rome has always been a city for the elite. Current day Rome is more accessible than ever for the commoners.

If rich people pay money for private access and part of that money ends up being used for preservation: Good.

Isn't this the case globally and not just Rome?

It's a business decision, if the rich person wants to pay and its more profitable than the alternative and/or may get massive press or social exposure than it may get a yes.

If a mega-celebrity wants to visit the Louvre, the Louvre (and French police) don't want the headache of it getting leaked on social media and thousands of fanatical Stans turning up as a mob, so safer to arrange a private viewing.

London museums as an example are routinely strategically sponsored by companies and individual with bad reputations.Example https://cultureunstained.org/2025/11/18/british-museum-drops... and Saudi Arabia has been whitewashing the killing of the journalist via bankrolling Sports.

Where's the line between in-depth reporting and long-form advert?

The Atlantic's reader base is the exact target audience for such services

As an aside I once went on a tour of the museums of Amsterdam with an expert guide (paid for by the company I was visiting). It was fantastic! A completely different experience from being a regular tourist. I learned far more about Amsterdam and the art than I could possibly have done on my own.

Tangential a bit, but I grate at using “elite” as a synonym for “rich”. It adopts the framing favored by powerful people as if they have an inherent difference and aren’t just some people that society allows to have more resources. It promotes a false inevitability.